GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT

Hinton Drug Action Committee launching public education campaign, coming
soon to a door near you

Hinton Parklander - Don't be surprised if in a month you know a lot more
about crystal meth than you do now.

It will because the Hinton Drug Action Committee (HDAC) is hitting high
gear in its fight against the harmful and devastating drug.

"We want the community to be aware that there is a crystal meth problem in
Hinton. We also want to get community members motivated and involved in
helping to keep the town clear of crystal meth," said HDAC member Betty Osmond.

To achieve these goals the HDAC is launching a public education campaign
that will include public presentations, a door-to-door information campaign
and education through local media outlets.

Going door-to-door

For the door-to-door campaign, the HDAC will train its canvassers on Oct.
27, and set them loose in town until Nov. 8.

Canvassers will present households with Meth Hurts stickers that residents
can display to show their support for the community initiative. In addition
they will present information on the drug itself, as well as information on
what individuals can do to combat the problem.

"We want people to be aware and recognize when they see drug activity,"
said Osmond. "We want people to know what to do when they see it, or what
to do if they know there is someone in their family with a problem."

The door-to-door portion of the HDAC campaign was spawned from the results
of a recent survey that involved 120 local households.

"The survey told us that most people were aware of a crystal meth problem
in Hinton, but most had only very general information about the drug. The
level of knowledge was very limited and we want to increase it
substantially," she said.

"We also learned than using local media and one-to-one contact was the best
way to get information to people. There's a lot of information out there,
but to get people attention we have to be at their doorstep - that's the
most effective way."

Canvassers will leave information for people who are not at home during the
door-to-door campaign. People are also encouraged to check out the website
Methhurts.com

The Hinton Drug Action Committee was formed last March, with a goal of
protecting the community from the harm of crystal meth.

If you would like to volunteer as a canvasser, make sure to attend the
training Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Arts and Crafts room of the Rec Centre.